WorldWide Drilling Resource

Environmental Monitoring by Thomas Kwader, Ph.D., P.G. Education and Training You know? . . . You don’t know . . . what you don’t know . . . so true. Imagine if we all lived in a cave and had no means of communicating beyond a mile of where we lived. If some fan- tastic, new “tool” was invented far away and we did not know about it, we would probably continue to do things the same old way until we ourselves “invented” it. In a way, unless we get out of our own self-made “cave” we are not likely to keep up with our competition or learn ways to do things more efficiently, economically, faster, or safer. We as drilling contractors, engineers, and scientists need to keep abreast with what is new in our industry. How should we do this? First let’s define what “this” is. Generally, to be a successful drilling professional (or any other profession) we need to stay current with our regulations, new products which improve what we are selling, better ways to do things safer (safety keeps our good employees working), and more efficient ways to improve our products and service - which in turn, increases prof- itability. Good profits allow us to stay in business and grow our company. Some other ways of “learning” things related to the drilling industry is to attend some local, state, reginal, or national groundwater and drilling trade shows or con- ventions. These shows are typically a day or two long and often have demonstrations on drilling, classes on products, and trade shows with the latest products to make our profession more successful. Classes also present information regarding permitting, rules, and department of transportation highway regulations. Some states also require drilling contractors to earn continuing education units (CEUs) to retain their drilling license, which can be earned by attending classes at the drilling conventions and trade shows. Education and training seems to come easier to our children than us older folks, I guess because they were exposed to the Internet and electronic devices (iPhone, iPad, etc.) at a very young age, and older people (me included) tend to resist new ways of doing things, maybe because the old way is still “just fine”. We must keep pushing ourselves that we need to keep learning and growing to “exercise” our minds and stay current with this ever-changing world. Tom Tom Kwader may be contacted via e-mail to michele@worldwidedrillingresource.com Atlantis Vault • Simple installation • Simple installation • Trouble-free operation For more information call: (270) 786-3010 or visit us online: www.geothermalsupply.com 44 JULY 2017 WorldWide Drilling Resource ®